What information is included in the DFRs and DFC Reports?

These reports include information about directly actionable practice patterns such as dose of dialysis, vascular access, and anemia management, as well as patient outcomes (such as mortality, hospitalization, and transplantation) that can be used to inform and motivate reviews of practices.   The information in the report facilitates comparisons of facility patient characteristics, treatment patterns, and outcomes to local and national averages.   Such comparisons help to evaluate patient outcomes and to account for important differences in the patient mix - including age, sex, race, and patients’ diabetic status - which in turn enhances each facility’s understanding of the clinical experience relative to other facilities in the state, Network, and nation.

What are the DFRs and DFC Reports used for?

The reports are intended to be used by facilities in their quality improvement efforts.  State surveyors use data reported in the DFRs to make decisions on which facilities to survey during the upcoming year.  The DFC report provides facilities with advance notice of new and updated quality measures that will be reported on the Dialysis Facility Compare website, allowing dialysis patients to review and compare characteristics and quality information on dialysis facilities in the United States.  Please note the DFC report includes the DFC preview previously reported on Page 2 of the DFR.

Who has access to the DFRs and DFC Reports?

The DFRs and DFC reports are provided to facilities, ESRD Networks, State Survey Agencies, and Regional Offices annually.  Authorized users can access the facility reports by logging in to the secure site.   Dialysis facilities are encouraged to submit comments during the comment period on the secure site if they have questions or concerns regarding their reports.   A sample of each report may be downloaded from the Methodology section of this web site.

State and Region Profiles

State and Region Profiles are provided to the state survey agencies and CMS regional offices annually. They include maps and tables comparing state or region information as well as the Dialysis Facility Reports for every facility in the state or region.  The State and Region Dialysis Profiles are available only to the corresponding State Survey Agency or CMS Regional Office.   Authorized users can access the Profiles by logging into the secure site.

What is the Quality Incentive Program (QIP)?

The ESRD QIP is the first Medicare program that links any provider or facility payments to performance based on outcomes as assessed through specific quality measures.   The two measures adopted for this year of the ESRD QIP include the percentage of Medicare patients with an average Hemoglobin >12.0 g/dL, and the percentage of Medicare patients with an average Urea Reduction Ratio (URR) >= 65%.   These measures are important indicators of patient outcomes because poor management of anemia and inadequate dialysis can lead to avoidable hospitalizations, decreased quality of life, and death.   These measures are at the core of medical management of ESRD patients.